The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) assured that the collapse of the Cabagan-Sta. Maria Bridge in Isabela was not due to corruption or structural defects but was caused by an overloaded truck exceeding the bridge's weight limit.

“I was assured by the regional offices and yung mga engineers, that this was implemented in accordance with design specifications, and actually it was done properly naman. Wala namang tainted of corruptions and anomalies that have been reported,” DPWH Secretary Manuel Bonoan said.

Part of the bridge, designed to carry a maximum of 44 tons, collapsed after a truck allegedly weighing over 100 tons attempted to cross on February 27, 2025.

“Hindi kinaya ng tulay ang lubhang napakabigat na trak na dumaan dito,” Bonoan said.

The truck was part of a three-truck convoy transporting heavy rocks. The first truck managed to pass, but the second reportedly caused the structure to fail.

Authorities are also reviewing the bridge’s design, which differs from typical suspension bridges.

Instead of using steel cables, it relied solely on solid steel beams for support.

DPWH approved this design in 2014 and retrofitted the structure later in 2018 and 2022 to strengthen it.

The bridge was intended for tricycles in 2018 and was opened only to light vehicles in February 2025.

Following the collapse, the DPWH is assessing accountability, as the project was initiated during previous administrations.

Authorities are now investigating the trucking company involved, as well as the firm that designed the bridge in 2014.